Some
steam has been building
coming out of spring ball
that Alabama might not
be the No. 1 preseason
team after all heading
into 2013. Could be the
noise generated from the
NFL Draft where Alabama
lost three of the best
offensive linemen few
college teams could ever
dream about. But make
no mistake...the depth
and talent that head coach
Nick Saban has amassed
in Tuscaloosa is mind
boggling. Watching this
team take the field is
like watching the best
horses take the track
at the Kentucky Derby.
These are the largest,
fastest and best athletes
in the country bar none!

Anyone
thinking this team is
not deserving of starting
the 2013 season at the
top needs their head examined.
The Crimson Tide already
has the greatest quarterback
in Alabama football history.
To demonstrate the insanity
the top three running
backs are 1,000 yard rusher
T.J. Yeldon standing at
6'2, former Georgia Gatorade
Player of the Year Kenyan
Drake and the nation's
all-time career high school
rusher Derrick Henry who
ran for over 12,000 yards
at the prep level. Forget
about the backup, Alabama's
third string players could
start on many other SEC
programs. Despite this
stockpile of ball carriers
there also is a feeling
this could be the year
of the passing game. Will
AJ McCarron get the keys
to the Ferrari? It's hard
to imagine why he wouldn't
considering this receiving
corps led by Amari Cooper
could be the best in Alabama
football history.

Granted
the offensive line reconstruction
will go a long way into
determining how far this
team can go, but if the
past is any indication
Nick Saban knows that
recruiting big, mobile
offensive linemen is what
wins ball games. Don't
think for a minute there
is a shortage of blockers
in Tuscaloosa. Maybe even
more important is the
fact that Saban struck
gold hiring one of the
better coaching minds
in all of college football
to direct the offensive
line when Florida International
head coach Mario Cristobal
became available.

Defense
has been one aspect Bama
fans never needed to worry
about the past four years.
The Crimson Tide has dominated
all of the NCAA team defensive
statistics during that
span en route to three
BCS titles. A bad defense
is about as unlikely as
an empty stadium at the
home opener. However,
there is no anchor on
the line with the size
and strength of Jesse
Williams, no shutdown
corner like Dee Milliner
and no defensive back
with the experience of
Robert Lester. Safety
is a concern as is size
up front on the defensive
line. But no one questions
the All-America credentials
of linebacker C.J. Mosley.

The
bottom line that needs
to be stressed is that
nobody in America has
this type of high school
talent. Nobody! Sometimes
that talent fails to be
coached up at many other
programs. That's not the
case at this institution.
Alabama is on the verge
of doing something that
has never been done in
the history of college
football...win three consecutive
national championships.
They got a name for the
winners in the world.
They call Alabama the
Crimson Tide.

The depth at quarterback is
getting insane. While senior
AJ McCarron prepares to rewrite
the Alabama record book four
other highly decorated scholarship
signal callers are vying for
the back up spot.

Will AJ McCarron go down as
the greatest Alabama quarterback
of all time? With three national
championship rings and a SI
swimsuit model for a girlfriend
the answer is he probably
already is. Legendary names
like Namath, Stabler and Starr
are hard to surpass but McCarron
is the only one to guide the
Tide to two national titles
and counting.

McCarron
led the nation last season
in passing efficiency with
three interceptions in 314
attempts. The buzz is that
offensive coordinator Doug
Nussmeier and the Tide offense
may lean on their passing
game more in 2013. If a newly
built offensive line can provide
time to throw this could be
a record breaking season for
the passing annals.

Six
quarterbacks other than McCarron
attempted at least two passes
in the spring game.

Backup Blake Sims as a runner
in the open field with the
read option is a huge change
to the downhill pro style
offense Bama runs. Just two
seasons ago the Wildcat was
in play with Sims but those
days have vanished and the
talk about Sims with his lackluster
passing ability disappeared
with it.

With
a much better arm, big Texas
pro-style gunslinger Alec
Morris by many accounts is
the heir apparent to McCarron.
This will be the year to air
it out with all these quality
receivers, which makes more
sense to have Morris behind
center.

Three
highly touted true freshmen
will be enrolled this fall
with Cooper Bateman (the No.
5 rated pro-style quarterback
by 247 Sports), Parker McLeod
and Luke Del Rio (son of former
NFL head coach Jack Del Rio)
who turned down multiple offers
to walk-on at Bama.

RUNNING
BACK

The recent thoroughbred line
of ball carriers in Tuscaloosa
continues to roll on. From
Mark Ingram to Trent Richardson
to Eddie Lacy and now to T.J.
Yeldon...the running game
is still alive and well.

No unit can boast as much
depth. Once again, instead
of mourning another loss of
a running back declaring for
the NFL here comes T.J. Yeldon
and a long list of talented
backs that will share the
load.

1,000 yard rusher Yeldon made
this rushing attack sparkle
last fall when Eddie Lacy
was hobbled, or even when
Lacy wasn't. This is a 6'2
back who combines patience
with a smooth, fluid running
style and who can also catch
passes out of the backfield.
Don't be surprised when Yeldon
goes to New York for the Heisman
presentation with McCarron
by his side.

Kenyan
Drake was forced into action
last season due to a rash
of injuries. His 6.7 yards
per carry were actually higher
than that of Lacy and Yeldon.
The former Georgia Gatorade
Player of the Year continues
to give coaches plenty of
options while keeping everyone
fresh in this backfield.

Next
up...Derrick Henry. The huge
6'3, 238 pound five-star Florida
recruit who set the National
high school career rushing
record (12,243 yards) enrolled
early to get comfortable in
this system. While on the
rise he fractured his fibula
in a scrimmage and will rehab
to get ready for August. He
will factor into the rotation.

RECEIVER

Despite the ground it out
offensive style Coach Saban
has been able to stockpile
big time star talent at receiver.
Some players are no longer
with the team for various
reasons but all of the starters
are back. This is still potentially
the best receiving corps in
Tide history.

After
leading the team in receiving
as a true freshman, Amari
Cooper is poised for an encore
performance of even greater
proportions. Through out the
spring no defensive back was
able to cover him in man with
any consistency. For Cooper
the sky is the limit. He is
poised to be at the top of
everyone's NFL Draft Board
much sooner than anyone anticipated.

Getting
Kenny Bell back from a broken
leg suffered in the Auburn
game will be big. He led the
team with an amazing 25.4
yards per catch last fall
and can turn the short pass
into a huge gainer.

DeAndrew
White could be poised for
a break out year with all
of the opposing defenses trying
to focus on Cooper and Bell.
The four-star recruit out
of Texas chose Bama over prolific
passing offenses like Oklahoma
State and Baylor to play here.
One of the team's fastest
players White was emerging
as a top wide out before an
ACL injury ended his season
in the fifth game.

Kevin
Norwood was the team's second
leading receiver but off-season
surgery to repair his turf
toe kept him out of the spring.
For over a year now Norwood
has been the receivers' leader
in terms of work ethic and
example-setting.

Both
Christion Jones and Cyrus
Jones are trying their hand
in the defensive backfield.
Christion has some of the
best hands on the team but
is also being pushed at slot
receiver by Chris Black, who
created plenty of havoc for
the defense this spring snaring
those short pass screens and
quick outs while turning them
into big gainers.

TIGHT
END / H-BACK

At the close of 2013 tight
end Brian Vogler emerged as
a better than average blocker
opening up the lanes. Vogler
was considered a receiver
first out of high school but
should continue to be an asset
in the running game, especially
in goal line situations.

The loss of Michael Williams
at tight end however cannot
be underestimated. He represents
another lost component from
a powerful offensive line.

One mark of Saban's offenses
has been the role of its H-back
from year to year subject
to change based on personnel.
The addition of five-star
superstar recruit OJ Howard
and Jalston Fowler, who returns
from a medical redshirt, should
be a tremendous upgrade.

OFFENSIVE
LINE

Three of the highest decorated
players played on this massive
front wall and moved on to
be NFL Draft picks, with two
of them going in the first
round. With the loss of Chance
Warmack, Barrett Jones and
D.J. Fluker this offensive
line will be the subject of
many questions and labels.

This
unit will also be working
with a new segment coach but
Nick Saban hired a good one
in former Florida International
head coach Mario Cristobal.
The former All-American tackle
from Miami bought a fiery
personality to spring practice.

Ryan Kelly will be the third
center quarterback AJ McCarron
has worked with in as many
years. He has experience here
and eventually should be a
strength at the position.

Cyrus and Arie Kouandjio are
a pair of brothers playing
beside each other on the left
side at tackle and guard respectively.
Coming out of Maryland, Cyrus
was one of the most sought
after high school tackles
and was an immediate impact
as a starter last fall. He
will be the next lineman to
make the jump to the pros
as a first round pick.

Right
guard Anthony Steen, one of
the strongest players on the
team, is the most experienced
lineman and will be counted
on to be a vocal leader. He
is strong to the punch and
will be another future NFL
Draft pick.

Austin
Shepherd takes over at right
tackle based on his massive
playbook experience level
over newcomer Leon Brown,
who enrolled this spring as
one of the nation's top rated
JUCO tackles. Another Maryland
high school product, Brown
didn't come here to ride the
pine so this battle could
get interesting as the fall
progresses.

RB
T.J. Yeldon

ALABAMA
2013 DEPTH CHARTReturning
Starters/Key
Players

OFFENSE

QB

AJ
McCarron-Sr (6-4,
208)

Blake
Sims-Jr (6-0, 202)
Alec Morris-RFr (6-3,
230)

RB

T.J.
Yeldon-So (6-2, 218)

Kenyan Drake-So (6-1,
201)
Derrick Henry-Fr (6-3,
238)

WR

Amari
Cooper-So (6-1, 202)

DeAndrew
White-Jr (6-0, 190)

WR

Kevin
Norwood-Sr (6-2, 195)

Kenny
Bell-Sr (6-1, 180)

WR

Christion
Jones-Jr (5-11, 185)

Chris
Black-RFr (5-11, 182)

HB

Jalston
Fowler-Jr (6-1, 250)

OJ
Howard-Fr (6-6, 237)

TE

Brian
Vogler-Jr (6-7, 260)

Malcolm
Faciane-So (6-5, 267)

OT

Cyrus
Kouandjio-Jr (6-6,
310)

Brandon
Greene-RFr (6-5, 307)

OG

Arie
Kouandjio-Jr (6-5,
315)

Kellen
Williams-Sr (6-3,
302)

C

Ryan
Kelly-So (6-5, 290)

Chad
Lindsay-Jr (6-2, 302)

OG

Anthony
Steen-Sr (6-3, 309)

Issac
Luatua-So (6-2, 313)

OT

Austin
Shepherd-So (6-5,
315)

Leon
Brown-Jr (6-6, 313)

K

Cade
Foster-Sr (6-1, 224)

Adam
Griffith-RFr (5-10,
187)

2013
DEFENSE

DEFENSIVE
LINE

The list of names and talents
at defensive end run deep
as all were highly regarded
prep stars. But none of them
weigh in over 300 pounds,
which is outside the norm
for ends in this 3-4 alignment.
Instead of thick and heavy
brickhouse players recruiting
has pulled in the slightly
smaller more athletic types.

Across the board this unit
is very young. However the
word on the Tuscaloosa street
is that this may be the most
talented group in the Saban
era. We'll see. Stuffing the
run has always been the top
priority so it will be interesting
to see how this size difference
translates.

Nose tackle Brandon Ivory
was a starter last year in
goal line and short yardage
and completely dominated in
this role while making huge
stops in big SEC games. His
positive asset is quickness
off the ball, which is quite
noteworthy for a man of 315+
pounds.

Ed
Stinson has transformed from
a freshman linebacker to a
senior defensive end. He will
be counted on to anchor the
run defense while utilizing
his quickness. Jeoffrey Pagan
is the other athletic type
on the other side. The question
will be their ability to not
get pushed off the line of
scrimmage.

Second-team
defensive ends Dalvin Tomlinson
and LaMichael Fanning are
both flashing pass rush skills
that could make an impact.
Both should enter the fall
in a strong position for playing
time.

LINEBACKER

With all four starters returning
and depth plentiful Alabama's
vaunted linebacker position
is in good hands. Without
a doubt, senior All-American
C.J. Mosley is the most talented
player on this defense.

C.J.
Mosley was a big time player
the minute he stepped on campus.
His ability to defend the
spread offense while also
starring in nickel and dime
packages makes him the most
valuable asset on this side
of the ball. Don't expect
to see Mosley leave the field
at any point.

Sack
leader Adrian Hubbard has
grown into a terror pressuring
the quarterback and containing
on the edge. Former five-star
high school stud Ryan Anderson
is capable of doing much the
same.

This season Xzavier Dickson
will shuffle back and forth
between his outside linebacker
position and defensive end
depending on what the opposing
offense is doing. Dickson
could wind up a quality speed
rusher in passing situations.

Denzel
Devall played a crucial role
as a pass rushing specialist
last season. Dickson was a
solid player here but Devall's
outstanding play may have
forced Dickson into another
role.

Despite
the talent and experience
on this unit three incoming
freshmen are sure to make
an impact. Jonathan Allen
may be the best recruit ever
signed to play the JACK position,
Reuben Foster is the five-star
force with an Auburn tattoo
having committed originally
to the Tigers only to switch
back to Bama and Tim Williams
was the best linebacker steal
out of Louisiana.

DEFENSIVE
BACK

The secondary rotation has
been in a relatively constant
state of flux and the answers
did not come into focus this
spring due to the large array
of nickel and dime schemes
coaches are attempting to
employ. This much is true:
Belue, Smith and Clinton-Dix
won't come off the field regardless
of the scheme.

Last
year the secondary represented
the weakest link when it came
to beating the Tide much like
Texas A&M and LSU did
in exploiting mismatches.
Now Alabama has to move forward
while replacing their best
corner and safety in Milliner
and Lester making this unit
the biggest area of concern.

Deion Belue was a pleasant
surprise last fall staking
his claim as the starter on
the corner after coming out
of the JUCO ranks. Geno Smith
will be the one counted on
this fall to improve the coverage
leaks after earning starts
in nickel and dime packages
in big games versus Georgia
and Notre Dame.

Cyrus
Jones has moved from receiver
to cornerback this spring,
a place many felt he would
be playing all along since
signing with Bama. Bradley
Sylve, another receiver, has
also shown he can take the
field for significant snaps.

Ha
Ha Clinton-Dix is everything
coaches want in a safety with
size, speed and skills to
cover the field while being
a very capable tackler. He
is the perfect fit for helping
to defend the spread offense.

Vinnie
Sunseri struggled mightily
last season in pass coverage
but his skills near the line
of scrimmage are much better.
Look for him in more of a
linebacker role in dime packages.
The next man up was Nick Perry
who had struggles of his own
in pass coverage.

Nailing
down better production from
the safety spot will be crucial.
Look for former five-star
recruit Landon Collins to
play more of a role. This
could be one of the most important
battles in August camp.

LB
C.J. Mosley

ALABAMA
2013 DEPTH CHARTReturning
Starters/Key
Players

DEFENSE

DE

Ed
Stinson-Sr (6-4, 292)

Dalvin
Tomlinson-RFr (6-2,
287)

NG

Brandon
Ivory-Jr (6-4, 310)

Darren
Lake-So (6-3, 324)

DE

Jeoffrey
Pagan-Jr (6-4, 290)

LaMichael
Fanning-So (6-7, 270)

SLB

Adrian
Hubbard-Jr (6-6, 252)

Ryan
Anderson-RFr (6-2,
255)

MLB

Trey
DePriest-Jr (6-2,
245)

Reggie
Ragland-So (6-2, 259)

WLB

C.J.
Mosley-Sr (6-2, 232)

Tana
Patrick-Sr (6-3, 238)

JACK

Xzavier
Dickson-Jr (6-3, 265)

Denzel
Devall-So (6-2, 250)

CB

Deion
Belue-Sr (5-11, 183)

Bradley
Sylve-So (5-11, 180)

CB

Geno
Smith-So (6-0, 186)

John
Fulton-Sr (6-0, 186)

S

Vinnie
Sunseri-Jr (6-0, 210)

Nick
Perry-Sr (6-1, 212)

S

Ha
Ha Clinton-Dix-Jr
(6-1, 208)

Landon
Collins-So (6-0, 215)

P

Cody
Mandell-Sr (6-4, 213)

..

2013
SPECIAL TEAMS

Short
range kicker Jeremy Shelley is out
of eligibility. Senior kicker Cade
Foster is competing with redshirt
frosh Adam Griffith for the role
this fall. Coach Saban has indicated
that using both as he did with Shelley
and Foster remains an option...a
decision that won't be decided until
late in fall camp.

Cade
Foster has a booming leg. He connected
on three field goals from 50 yards
or longer and had 46 touchbacks
on kickoffs.

Adam Griffith is the wild card in
this formula. The Georgia native
signed with Bama as the No. 1 rated
high school kicker according to
Scout.com.

Punter
Cody Mandell thrived last year while
most important saving his best efforts
for the biggest games. Mandell ranked
17th in the nation in net punting.

The return game is also loaded with
experience as Christion Jones, Cyrus
Jones and Dee Hart all proved to
be capable at the position.